Ceylon

• Ceylone, Zeyloon (obsolete)

Borrowed from Portuguese Ceilão, from Old French Seilan (Marco Polo), probably a back-formation from Arabic سَرَنْدِيب‎ (sarandīb), from Persian سرندیپ‎ (sarandip), from Prakrit *𑀲𑀻𑀳𑀮𑀤𑀻𑀯 (*sīhaladīva), from Sanskrit सिंहलद्वीप (siṃhaladvīpa); compare Pali Sīhaladīpa, obsolete Dhivehi އޮޅުދޫ‎ (oḷudū). Doublet of Serendib.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /sɪˈlɒn/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /seɪˈlɑn/, /siˈlɑn/

Ceylon

1. (archaic, historical) Sri Lanka [prior to 1972].
   • 2021 June 30, David Clough, “Brush: a UK rail icon”, in RAIL, number 934, page 55:

     Brush supplied shunters to industrial clients, but the first significant main line order came from the Ceylon Government Railway in 1950 for 25 diesel-electrics.

2. (very rare) A male given name transferred from the place name.

The term Ceylon is generally considered archaic, having been replaced by Sri Lanka, but it is still used in some contexts; see usage notes for Sri Lanka.

• Ceylonese

Ceylon (uncountable)

1. Tea produced in Sri Lanka.

• Names of Sri Lanka

• Conley

From English Ceylon, from Portuguese Ceilão.

• IPA^(key): /ˈsei̯lon/, [ˈs̠e̞i̯lo̞n]

Ceylon

1. (historical) Ceylon (former name of the island and state of Sri Lanka)

• still used in the names of many plants and animals

• Sri Lanka

• ceyloninkaneli
• ceyloninmoringa
• ceyloninpalmuhiiri
• ceyloninpitkähäntäpäästäinen